Economical Horn Driver Replacement Recommendations?

[theseacowexists]

What experience has anyone had with replacing the horn driver in a Leslie? Or (in my case) the driver for a DIY Leslie?

The one I've had the best luck with is this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

HOWEVER, the particular one I have has an issue. The positive cable needs to be in just the right position, otherwise the connection isn't good, and it gets a tiny bit distorted. Soldering it in place doesn't help, the problem seems to be somewhere inside the driver. :-( When it works though, it sounds great!

So I tried these guys:

https://www.parts-express.com/seleni...8-tpi--264-204
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Both were extremely distorted all the time, even at low volumes! This was even when trying them out in non-Leslie applications.

As far as the Leslie is concerned, I don't get any distortion from my rotor speaker, nor from any other regular 8ohm speakers I've tried in place of the driver.

So what are your experiences with drivers that will get the job done and not break the bank? Either I'm having bad luck with the models I'm picking, or I'm having REALLY bad luck and getting lemons every time!

[Sweet Pete]

I'd try the Parts Express 'Phenolic' mainly because that's what a V21 has for a diaphragm,no good?,send it back and try the Pyle,which states it will handle 500Hz.
It will have presumably a selenium diaphragm which might need some 'doctoring' to remove harshness above 4K? Still no good?

By now you wish you'd just got a complete upper assembly for a two motor stock Leslie.V21 and x-over/horn/belt/idler pulley,wing nuts etc.
Hard to improve that,some folks love the bigger power handling drivers,I prefer a good stock Leslie and if it needs a little more?
How about a floor wedge with the upper mic folded back to me please; monitor person? Happy to let someone else enjoy the work!

YMMV
cheers
Pete

[picothinker]

Impedance?

Everything you listed is 8 ohm impedance. What impedance does your crossover's output want to see?

[theseacowexists]

The crossover is 8ohm. The issue definitely isn't in the crossover, as any regular speaker I've hooked up to it (and the Massive Audio driver, for the most part) works just fine.

[alpine]

I experimented with this one, 8ohm phenolic diaphragm before I paid out the cash to get 15ohm stuff. Seemed OK, but a bit bright. Solid cast metal build, no plastic.
https://www.pyleaudio.com/sku/PDS432/High-Power-Tweeter-Compression-Horn-Driver

EDIT Actually the parts express Selenium looks to be the the same one!

[David Anderson]

The thing about speaker drivers is that, with apologies, they are not the best place to economize if you can help it. They are like tires. They're the audio equivalent of where the rubber meets the road. You might have a great car, but it won't drive well on cheap tires. And I've heard nice HiFi tube amps hooked up to mediocre speakers. The result is mediocre sound.

This is not to say that you won't stumble on something that works that's not expensive. The original Jensen V21 was not a precision, high-end horn driver. However, you might find you like the Atlas PD-5VH.

[alpine]

The original Jensen V21 was not a precision, high-end horn driver. However, you might find you like the Atlas PD-5VH.

That's 15/16 ohm, his crossover expects 8ohm.

[andyhof]

Not sure of your power handling specs but you could always be on the lookout for an EV1824 or 1829

https://www.electrovoice.com/binary/1824SK%20EDS.pdf

https://www.electrovoice.com/binary/...829T%20EDS.pdf